Ph.D. Program Director

Tiffin University • Tiffin, OH

18d • Onsite

About The Position

The Ph.D. Program Director provides strategic leadership for the growth, sustainability, and market position of Tiffin University’s Ph.D. Program, with a particular focus on increasing prospective student interest, applications, and enrollment. The director collaborates with Enrollment Management, Marketing, the School of Business Dean, faculty, alumni, and university partners to develop recruitment strategies, identify opportunities and partnerships, engage prospective students, support recruitment events and communications, monitor enrollment trends and competitors, and improve recruitment, conversion, and retention. Occasional domestic and international travel is expected for recruitment activities and international immersive experiences.

Appointed by the President, the director leads the program and chairs its committee, overseeing academic activities such as funding, admissions, courses, dissertation committees, and dissertation oversight. The role includes teaching, program promotion, faculty oversight and training, student advising, curriculum and program development, program review and metrics, recruitment support, process development, and immersion weekend and event planning. The director is responsible for academic quality and continuous improvement, student persistence and degree completion, dissertation progression, program visibility and scholarly community, and fostering an inclusive, supportive graduate-level learning environment aligned with the University’s mission and ICARE values.

The director oversees program policies and procedures, recruitment and admissions processes, student advising and progress, scholarship and research issues, faculty coordination, program assessment, and administrative reporting. The position is full-time and on campus in Tiffin, Ohio.

Requirements

• Terminal degree required.
• Ph.D. preferred.

Nice To Haves

• Leadership study focus preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to grow and sustain the Ph.D. Program and strengthen its market position, recruitment pipeline, and enrollment.
• Represent the Ph.D. Program within and outside the University and speak for the program on matters relating to it.
• Chair the Ph.D. Program Committee and oversee program academic activities, including funding, admissions, courses, dissertation committees, and dissertation oversight.
• Develop and implement program and curriculum changes, assess learning outcomes, conduct program reviews, and modify degree requirements or courses as appropriate.
• Develop and enforce program policies and procedures and monitor pedagogical, operational, dissertation, research, and administrative matters.
• Foster a supportive and inclusive community and maintain a graduate-level learning environment; oversee residency requirements.
• Coordinate recruitment and admissions with Marketing, Enrollment Management, and Graduate Admissions, including prospect follow-up, recruitment events, applicant communications, candidate identification, and enrollment pipeline development.
• Review and act on completed admission applications, ensure enrollment conditions are met, approve transfer credit, and communicate admission decisions to Graduate Admissions.
• Cultivate a diverse Ph.D. student body and assist with enrollment capacity and strategic enrollment management.
• Coordinate the ranking and selection of graduate assistants and initiate hiring paperwork.
• Keep current with scholarship in the field and oversee graduate scholarship, research issues, and dissertation committee processes.
• Ensure students understand policies on intellectual property, plagiarism, and academic integrity, and report integrity breaches to the Dean of the School of Business.
• Ensure each new student is assigned an advisor, provide initial course-selection assistance when needed, and coordinate program orientation.
• Monitor student progress in coursework and research, contact students who appear to be struggling, and ensure timely establishment of dissertation committees.
• Inform students about research ethics and related training and approvals, Institutional Review Board policies, dissertation funding, travel assistance, degree completion requirements, exams, and graduation forms.
• Submit dissertation committee results in a timely manner.
• Ensure faculty, particularly new hires, understand program policies and procedures; work with faculty to monitor student progress and develop the program and curriculum.
• Publicize and support Ph.D. workshops for faculty and staff and assist the Dean with oversight of program faculty, staffing, and faculty evaluations.
• Work with the Dean to maintain a course rotation that supports timely degree completion and inform students about the rotation.
• Update program information in the Academic Bulletin and assist with annual reports, program assessment, program reviews, and accreditation documents.
• Perform other duties assigned by the President, Provost, or Dean of the School of Business.
• Support recruitment activities and international immersive experiences, including occasional domestic and international travel.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Health Savings Account with annual employer incentive contribution.
• Flexible Spending Account for pre-tax medical, dental, and vision expenses.
• Employer-paid basic life insurance and long-term disability insurance.
• Voluntary supplemental life insurance and short-term disability plans.
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching contributions.
• Paid annual leave and sick leave.
• Paid holidays.
• Educational tuition benefits for the employee and eligible family members.
• Confidential Employee Assistance Program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree